Archive

ue to certain issues with the “free” WordPress/IIS host I’d previously been using on and off for the past couple of years, I’ve ended my experimental hosting experience and returned here after all. A couple of minor articles were deleted — but nothing too critical.

So I’ll resume in the weeks ahead posting here on articles of interest mostly to me, but perhaps to some of you out there as well. 😉 Hope the summer is going well for all!

ery candid exchange between two enterprise-tech pundits on the current state of affairs in the cloud space. Can the cloud save you money? As is so often the case, success is typically found in the execution as much as being duly responsive to customers. Commentators from Ericsson and Apcera offer perspectives on their own experience which might well be mirrored elsewhere…

The definitions of cloud computing have shifted a lot in the past several years, but a few things never change. Whether it’s located in an Amazon data center or a company’s own, whether it’s virtual servers or an entire platform for deploying applications, the cloud is supposed to serve many users, it’s supposed to improve flexibility and it’s supposed to save money. It all sounds great, but these guiding lights don’t always jibe with existing attitudes toward security and compliances and the systems put in place to enforce them.

he AppRefactory Inc. launches its first service offering today with the debut of a partnership with Google Inc. through Google Helpouts. This further enhances the company’s service offerings in the application maintenance and support space; but also extends its services to more generalized support of the tools and technologies it uses throughout its service delivery process. Support is being offered through Google Helpouts for technologies and platforms like:

Microsoft Visual Studio (all ediitions, 2005-2013)

Programming Language Support / Tutorials:

Visual C#

Visual Basic / VB.NET

Java

JavaScript

HTML

XML

SQL

VBScript

Microsoft SQL Server

Microsoft Team Foundation Server

Microsoft Windows / Microsoft Windows Server

Microsoft Office / MS Office VBA

Linux (Ubuntu)

Apache WebServer

Microsoft Internet Information Server

Microsoft Windows Communication Foundation (WCF)

Microsoft Windows Workflow (WF)

Microsoft .NET Framework

Web Services

…and much, much more!

Google Helpouts also offers payment features that allows either the business or individual user to use services on a demand basis easily. And with this launch, the service is being offered, for a limited time, with a free support instance — giving potential customers an opportunity to “try-and-buy” for a fixed 20-minute session, without charges or fees applied. (See Google Helpouts terms & conditions for more info.)

ebsites don’t ordinarily get version numbers; but in the case of The AppRefactory Inc. website, there may well be an exception. Although the website was technically delivered on August 21st, some last minute technical details (including a DNS issue that needed resolving) delayed the declaration of “mission accomplished” until today. However, we can now safely state — and unequivocally — The AppRefactory Inc. website has been officially launched.

The AppRefactory Inc. has launched its website, bringing with it information about a number of its service offerings and other basic information about the company. In addition to acting as a tool for making the general public aware about its services, the weeks and months ahead also promise the excitement of new title product launches plus its integration into other projects (already being developed) as a platform for a host of Internet-based services growing an ever-larger, steady stream of new users of every type.

Please review the content and watch for what’s coming soon or learn more about what we offer today. And check back soon – because even more is on the way!

Next, my attention turns to uploaded the final release of AR CamFeeder which has been sitting on the backburner for the past few weeks while I got distracted by another project. But it won’t be long before I’ll follow-up about that and the next project behind that – already all queued up. Like the announcement says: stay tuned!

ust last week, following a discussion with a potential business partner, I’d found myself doing something I’ve done a few times over the course of my career — wondering whether I was making the right choice sticking with being “a Microsoft technology expert”. Typically, such ennui occurs during downtimes for the software giant….and there have definitely been downs with the ups in the 30-year-long Microsoft saga. But with the announcement late yesterday about the Nokia buyout, I think I may have learned to recognize such feelings as moments the really herald the coming of a big announcement or some influential development; as once more, my momentary doubts about sticking with Microsoft were immediately laid to rest.

Nokia, for its part, hasn’t been doing well in the smartphone market — not even as well as Microsoft’s own Windows Phone operating system — in an industry dominated by Google’s Android and Apple’s iOS. During its now outgoing CEO’s (Stephen Elop) reign, Nokia shares dropped an extremely disappointing 85% giving pause to any notions one might have toward thinking of him a replacement for Steve Ballmer (who’s also in the midst of his own departure from Microsoft). Nokia was already licensing Windows Phone from Microsoft so some have said not much else is likely to change at the former Finnish cellphone giant.

In the end, Elop (a Canadian) may have been partly behind an engineering of optics in league with Ballmer to succeed the latter at Microsoft. But along with those optics will be those of a renewed momentum for the Windows Phone OS, which can only be a good thing for those of us believers in the Microsoft brand.

Chart above: “Fraction of programmers (y-axis) who spend x amount of time coding in a given language in 2012. Note the big spike on the left and the mostly sub-2% numbers for programmers coding more than 50% of the time in one language.” (Source: Dr. Dobbs Journal, 03-Apr-2013)

My lead project is actually an upgraded version of a strategy game that’s been in the public domain for quite a while; but has the simplicity necessary to effectively permit interfaces to a number of different platforms – and with them, the necessity of leveraging a number of different technologies to make building and maintenance practical. What will this mean software development as we close on 2015 or even 2020? Likely what’s happened before – amalgamation to facilitate the creation of single-vendor solutions so that the process is re-simplified.

But until that happens, coders like me are gonna be left to absorb multiple platforms and become jacks-of-all-trades (and hopefully not lose the mastery of some in the process).

o matter how much time passes it seems, the question is always being asked on one project or another: is Java better than Visual Basic? Is C# better than VB.NET?

Linked-In has been playing host to a lengthy, but at times interesting discussion on this question which seems to have an obvious, short answer. Yet in the discussion are useful lessons for less experienced programmers that should be taken to heart…

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I think we’ve established there is a bit of a stereotype for men here... but there’s gonna be a stereo type for the other side too (women) cause that’s just how it works. Just because there’s a gender in the name, doesn’t mean other genders aren’t welcome, which is the case here.

Well you are welcome to fly with us if you want to be a part of the squadron - actually winging up with other players is not mandatory, you can still stick to solo but be part of our group if you like :) - o7

Well Chaps it's been a while but we're back. Running like the Thargoids are chasing us to catch back up with #DW2 tonight from 8pm UTC in @EliteDangerous over @Twitch http://twitch.tv/smiter1983 #TeamXebon

It doesn't bother (me, in fact). That was just to say. I won't ever create a "women" group. Cause diversity is interesting. And if Fathers have to wait for their children's sleep, I think that's because they care. So I don't throw the stone. 1/2